Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 31 January 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

China Introduces Strict Rules In Xinjiang On Islam, Other Religions

In a move set to tighten government control over practicing religion in China’s western Xinjiang Province, the Muslim-majority region will introduce a set of regulations that — among other things — will require all new places of worship to reflect “Chinese characteristics and style.” The sweeping legislation will come into force on February 1 as part of a broader multiyear campaign aimed at controlling religion in Xinjiang, which is home to mainly Muslim ethnic groups such as Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui (aka Dungans).

Analyst Comments:

As part of the new set of “regulations on religious affairs,” all new mosques, churches, and other religious buildings must reflect Chinese design elements and any renovations to extant layouts will require approval from Xinjiang’s regional authorities. Additional measures include controls on “large-scale” religious gatherings — which will require approval from the local government at least one month in advance — and that religious content posted online must be screened by the regional government.

Also see: The logistics of war: How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

Israel and Hamas Weigh Three-Stage Cease-Fire

Israel and Hamas are considering a three-stage deal that would release hostages in Gaza beginning with a six-week cease-fire, according to officials with knowledge of the draft agreement hashed out by international intelligence chiefs in Paris this week.

Analyst Comments:

The Paris talks involved intelligence chiefs from Israel, the United States and Egypt, with the prime minister of Qatar. In a mark of the seriousness of the negotiations, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said he was going to Cairo to discuss it, his first public trip there for more than a month.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from the Biden White House to chart a path towards ending the war, and domestically from relatives of hostages who worry that negotiations are the only way to bring them home. According to The Guardian, “far-right parties in his {Netanyahu’s} ruling coalition say they will quit rather than endorse a deal to free hostages that left Hamas intact.”